Sometimes needs change, and the requirements for office space shift. This happened to Business Turku, which moved to new premises at the street level of ElectroCity at the beginning of October.
Business Turku, the regional development company offering services for business growth and development, wanted to streamline its premises and move from the fourth floor of ICT-City closer to its customers. The solution was found in an almost 800-square-meter office space that became available at SparkUp on the street level of ElectroCity.
“Our old space was traditional and too large for our 51 employees. It had corridors, rooms, and a lot of underutilized space, as many of us work remotely,” says Business Turku's Marketing Director Tapani Mylly.
The new Business Turku office is divided into two floors, with the upper floor reserved for staff use. On the street level, there is a customer area, a café, meeting rooms, and a high event space featuring a striking LED wall. The event space is used for both client events and internal meetings, and Business Turku staff can also book it for private use outside working hours.
“The large screen in the event space is great, and the facility is functional. In general, the entire ground floor is very cozy; it brings people together and offers an opportunity to catch up. Some of our employees also work in the café, and I often enjoy spending time there with my laptop.”
On the office's second floor, there is open-plan space, 3–4 person offices, and a couple of larger rooms. Business Turku employees do not have their own dedicated desks, which fits well with the everyday life of those working in a hybrid model.
“We are required to be at the office 1–2 days a week, but we generally enjoy being here quite a lot. We don't have any specific mandatory office days, but for meetings, it is of course expected that people show up in person.”
At Business Turku, they have been very satisfied with the move.
“The best thing about the new space is the ground floor café. It is airy and features a highly functional kitchen with an island. People enjoy the kitchen, and it creates encounters that might not otherwise happen. Personally, I especially like that there are various spaces in the new office for things like focusing, and I can change my spot during the day depending on my mood.”
